


So Take A Chance (And Don't Ever Look Back)

by distinct_dottiness



Category: Free!
Genre: (Rei just has some Emotions™ to work through), First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 03:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14488212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distinct_dottiness/pseuds/distinct_dottiness
Summary: After letting Rin swim the relay at regionals, Rei is feeling a little down. Nagisa wants to fix that.





	So Take A Chance (And Don't Ever Look Back)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my very first fic! I actually finished it over a year ago, but a number of things (mainly my being extremely lazy) have kept me from posting it. Watching _Take Your Marks_ last month made me excited for _Free!_ again, so here we are! Reigisa made me want to write in the first place, so I hope I've done them justice.
> 
> And yes, the title is from Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream."

The days following regionals were a little difficult for Rei. While Haruka, Makoto, and Nagisa (and presumably Rin, though Rei had no evidence to suggest it) were still riding the high from their relay, Rei was still feeling just a little down. He was happy for them, of course; so happy that their friendship with Rin had been repaired, and that he had contributed to their healing in the only way he knew how. But Rei had wants and needs too, and he couldn’t deny that in that moment, as he watched Rin embrace his teammates, he had wished more than anything that it had been him standing there and not Rin. Rei didn’t want to spoil the good mood, however, so he kept his frustrations to himself.

About a week after regionals, Rei found himself alone in the locker room with Nagisa. Makoto was required to watch over the twins that evening and had left early, and Haruka, despite Gou’s protests, had left with him. Their departure, far from deterring Gou, had only seemed to inspire her, and she had put Rei and Nagisa through their paces right up to their usual end time.

Rei finished changing before Nagisa, and because he thought it would be rude to leave without his friend, he sat himself on the bench to wait patiently for him. Normally he enjoyed their train rides home together, but lately, all Rei really wanted to do was to spend his time alone.

Lost in thought, as he had often been the past week, he was startled to discover Nagisa sitting at his side on the bench, so close that they were almost touching and staring straight at him.

Rei jumped so violently that his glasses nearly fell off.

“N-nagisa-kun?!” Rei stammered. _I really should be used to this sort of thing by now_ , Rei thought. How he had ever befriended anyone as unpredictable as Nagisa was beyond him. His reaction only made Nagisa giggle.

“Ah, sorry Rei-chan! I didn’t mean to scare you.” His not-so-innocent smile made Rei seriously doubt that statement, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it because Nagisa was still talking. “I was only wondering if something’s been bothering you?”

Rei stared as alarm bells started going off in his head. “What do you mean, Nagisa-kun?”

Nagisa looked away from Rei, chewing his lip in contemplation, and Rei couldn’t remember a time when Nagisa had looked so serious before now. After a moment of silence, Nagisa turned his attention back to Rei.

“You just don’t seem like yourself lately, Rei-chan.” He stopped to think again, and Rei, in his panic, almost stopped breathing. “Is it… are you… it’s because of the relay, isn’t it?”

The clamoring in his head grew louder as Rei was stunned into silence.  He thought he had been hiding his disappointment well enough, but Nagisa had seen right through him. Did that mean that Haruka and Makoto knew too? Did Gou? He had tried so hard not to burden them with his sadness; couldn’t, not when they were all so happy. Apparently he hadn’t tried hard enough.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Rei whispered as he hung his head in shame. “I was hoping that you wouldn’t find out, but it was foolish of me to hide my feelings. I only meant… I…”

“Rei-chan.”

“I didn’t want any of you to feel sorry for me, so I didn’t say anything.” Rei could feel the tears forming behind his glasses, and he turned away from Nagisa, praying that he hadn’t noticed. “N-not that you need to feel sorry for me! We made the right choice, obviously, and I’m only glad that I was able to assist. It was…”

“Rei-chan!”

“…a truly b-beautiful relay.” He couldn’t stop the tears from falling now. “What the four of you needed is much more important than anything I-I could have ever w-wanted, and I hope you can forgive…”

“REI-CHAN!”

Knowing that he must look truly awful, Rei couldn’t bring himself to face Nagisa. He did, however, fall silent, inwardly marveling at the words still trying to work their way out of his chest. He hadn’t realized, before now, just how upset he really was.

Rei felt Nagisa shift on the bench beside him.

“Rei-chan,” Nagisa began. He sounded upset, but his voice never wavered. “I wish you had come to us about this sooner, but I guess I understand why you didn’t. I’m sorry, too, if you thought that you couldn’t talk to us about your feelings. You can always talk to me, or Haru-chan, or Mako-chan! That’s what friends are for, right?! I wouldn’t have fought so hard for you to join the swim team if we hadn’t thought you would be worth it! And, Rei-chan?”

Rei, eyes still wet but feeling slightly more composed, finally turned back to Nagisa. Nagisa looked up earnestly at Rei, but his eyes were red, and Rei wondered if he had been crying too.

“I hope you don’t…” Nagisa paused, and Rei held his breath again. “You were never a replacement for Rin-chan. I hope you know that.”

All the words fighting for Rei’s attention evaporated as his mind narrowed down to one thing: _Nagisa_. Nagisa, who had barged into his life with a promise of beauty and freedom and had delivered so much more. Nagisa, who in a few short months had somehow become the best friend he had ever had. Nagisa, who was constantly surprising him with his hidden intelligence and not-so-hidden heart. How could he have known, at that moment, that this was exactly what Rei needed to hear? That he was truly part of the team, that they weren’t only looking for someone to take Rin’s place? Rei felt the weight of the last week lifting from his shoulders. He suddenly felt like crying again, though whether from joy or sadness he couldn’t quite tell. Did it even matter?

Nagisa was looking down again, eyes furrowed in concentration, and Rei had to say something, anything, to break the silence.

“Nagisa-kun, I…”

“What can we do to make it up to you, Rei-chan?!” Nagisa interrupted, a determined look on his face as he stared at Rei with marvelously bright eyes. “I want you to feel better! Is there anything I can do, Rei-chan?!”

Taken back by the sudden change of mood, Rei spent a full minute trying to come up with a response. Did he need anything else from Nagisa? He had listened to Rei without complaint or judgement, and in turn had offered the best encouragement that Rei could have asked for. Rei knew, deep down, that he might always harbor some bad feelings towards this particular relay, but the persistent heaviness in his chest had disappeared with Nagisa's words. What more could Rei want?

Rei stood up, about to tell Nagisa no, thank you, he already felt much better, when he heard an excited squeal and saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. The next thing he knew, Nagisa was standing in front of him, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“I know, I know, Rei-chan! I know how to make you feel better!” Rei was used to Nagisa's dazzling smile by now, but the one he gave Rei as he stood high to meet him was different, somehow. More expectant? More full of promise? Maybe the confusion showed on Rei’s face, because Nagisa deflated a little, lowering his heels to the floor as his cheeks suddenly flushed crimson.

“Um.” Nagisa was obviously fighting an internal battle with himself, though Rei couldn’t possibly figure out why.

“Yes, Nagisa-kun?”

“Could you, maybe, um, close your eyes, Rei-chan?” Nagisa’s voice was softer than usual, and if Rei didn’t know any better he would say that Nagisa looked embarrassed. Rei was intrigued, to say the least.

“Of course, Nagisa-kun.” He didn’t understand this strange request, but at the moment Rei felt like he would do anything in the world if Nagisa only asked him to. ( _But really_ , a voice in the back on his head whispered, _haven’t I been doing that all along?_ ) He closed his eyes, feeling just a tiny bit foolish in the silence of the abandoned locker room, but as the thrill of the unknown sent shivers down his spine, he knew that whatever Nagisa had planned, it was sure to be ok.

There was a moment where nothing happened at all, and the only sound that Rei could make out was their breathing. _We’re breathing in time_ , he noted. _Incredible_.

“I just…” Nagisa finally began, sounding much sweeter than usual, sweeter than Rei thought possible. “I just want you to know how much we all love you, Rei-chan. How much I…”

There was heat, suddenly, on Rei’s face, and he realized that it was Nagisa’s breath, that he was standing right in front of him. Rei was about to open his eyes when he felt Nagisa’s lips meet his own, touching with the very lightest of pressure, like Nagisa still couldn’t believe what he was doing. Rei gasped in surprise, drawing Nagisa in further for the briefest moment before Nagisa broke away completely. Surprised again, Rei opened his eyes.

Nagisa looked shocked at his own boldness. which made Rei smile because this was _Nagisa_. His cheeks were even darker than the last time Rei had seen them, which was completely endearing and not at all surprising: Rei could feel his own furious blush. Rei realized that Nagisa was, in fact, speaking, though the words were coming out so fast that Rei could barely understand them.

“Rei-chan! I’m sorry, I didn’t, I mean, I though you might like, but it’s totally ok if you didn’t, I’m sorry, was that ok? It’s fine if it wasn’t, not for you I mean, um, I’ll make it up to you if you want, but I understand, um, I’m sorry…”

“Nagisa-kun.”

Rei spoke softly, but all the same Nagisa stopped his babbling and met his eyes, face still red and looking suspiciously on the verge of tears again. Rei laughed to himself over the absurdity of the situation. He had never counted on finding love in high school, yet here he was: standing in a locker room with a blotchy face, sharing his first kiss with his best friend, who was about to cry of embarrassment. It was not at all beautiful, yet it was quickly becoming the most beautiful moment of his life.

How had he not, until this moment, understood that what he felt for Nagisa was more than just friendship? He suddenly realized that this feeling had been hiding just out of reach at the back of his mind, waiting for something to set it free. How long had he felt this way? “Because you looked beautiful!” Nagisa had told Rei, the day he finally convinced him to try out the swim club. Was that the moment that Rei had unconsciously devoted himself to the blond whirlwind that was Nagisa Hazuki? Rei’s scientific mind was desperate for answers, but for once in his life, he figured he could wait a little while to find them out.

Looking up after being lost in thought for what he hoped hadn’t been too long, Rei noticed that Nagisa had retreated a few steps away from him. Smiling, feeling nervous but excited, Rei took a step towards Nagisa.

“Nagisa-kun,” Rei repeated. “Please don’t apologize. What you said about the relay truly helped me, and I would… ah…” Rei could feel his face growing warmer as his blush deepened. “I would very much like to return the favor.”

The last part came out a bit mumbled, but Nagisa seemed to hear Rei just fine; a moment after Rei finished speaking, Nagisa looked up to him with hope in his eyes, a hint of his usual mischief in his grin. Rei was addicted that smile.

Rei took a deep breath as he stepped forward again. He could be bold, too.

“Nagisa-kun, could you close your eyes, please?” He was shocked to hear how calm his voice sounded, when at the moment all he wanted to do was maybe jump in the pool and stay there for a year or so.

Nagisa giggled. “Of course, Rei-chan.” He stared at Rei for a second longer, then giggled again as he shut his eyes tightly, like he was challenging himself not to peek.

_Well_ , Rei thought, _it’s now or never_. He closed the remaining distance between them, trying to calm his breathing and failing miserably. At some point he realized that he was running calculations in his head, trying to determine just how much taller he was than Nagisa and the correct angle that he should tilt his head in order to reach his lips most efficiently. _No, no! Stop that!_ he screamed at himself. A moment like this couldn’t be trusted to his brain. He had to use a much less familiar organ.

Said organ was pumping furiously at the moment, and Rei was extremely glad that Nagisa’s eyes were closed because surely, with a face this red, he must look ridiculous. Nagisa, on the other hand, looked extremely cute standing there (was this the first time Rei had thought Nagisa looked cute? He couldn’t even remember), and Rei wondered what he was thinking. _Probably wants to know why it’s taking so long. Just do it,_ Rei told himself. _I just need to do it._

Feeling the need to anchor himself, Rei grasped Nagisa’s shoulders. Nagisa squeaked in surprise, then giggled again, keeping his eyes closed still. It seemed he could be patient if he wanted something bad enough, and that more than anything fixed Rei’s resolve. _Just do it_. He tilted his head down, took a deep breath, and pressed his lips to Nagisa’s.

The first thought he registered was that Nagisa’s lips were very soft, and Rei hoped and prayed that his own lips felt just as nice. The second, less coherent and much more urgent thought was _I’m kissing Nagisa, I’m kissing Nagisa! Am I doing this right? I know it’s all wrong and maybe Nagisa will never want to do it again, and when do I breathe? Oh no, I need to breathe, does Nagisa need to breathe too? Oh no oh no oh no…_

Rei broke away with a gasp, opening his eyes and wondering when he had closed them. Nagisa gasped too, his eyes still shut and his face the prettiest shade of pink that Rei had ever seen. _Like his eyes_ , Rei thought with a smile.

Rei leaned in again, parting his lips slightly before making contact. Finally steadying his breathing, he pressed several short kisses to Nagisa’s lips, and he remembered to keep his eyes open this time. This felt a lot nicer, he thought, though he was starting to wish that Nagisa would open his eyes so they could watch each other as they kissed. Barely had he thought it, then his wish was granted; Nagisa’s eyes flew open suddenly, fixed on Rei with such intensity that Rei almost felt the need to take a step back. The next moment Nagisa had wrapped his hands around Rei’s waist, and was returning Rei’s quick little kisses with his own.

It was a little clumsy, Rei knew. They missed each other a few times, and Nagisa giggled yet again as he almost knocked Rei’s glasses off in his enthusiasm. It was far from beautiful, but Rei was pleased to note that for once, he didn’t care. It was just him and Nagisa and their short, sweet little kisses, deep blushes and feelings he hadn’t even been sure were possible before this moment. Joy and awkwardness and relief and giddiness and wonder and and and…

Rei didn’t know how long they stood together there, the concept of time long forgotten. Eventually they just stopped, with a few last pecks before they could do nothing but stare at each other while they caught their breath. Nagisa’s hands were still on Rei’s waist, and while Rei’s left hand had stayed on Nagisa’s shoulder, his right had traveled up to clutch Nagisa’s neck. His magenta eyes were sparkling, and Rei smiled fondly.

“We should go home, Nagisa-kun.” Rei finally dropped his hands, holding one out and hoping that Nagisa would understand. Nagisa smiled back.

“Sure, Rei-chan!” And he took Rei’s offered hand, squeezing tightly.

They gathered their things and left the locker room, holding hands all the way to the train station. Rei thinks that once upon a time this would have made him feel extremely self-conscious, but now that it was happening, he never wanted it to end. They hardly spoke during their walk, but it was a content silence. Their hands finally broke apart as they settled into their seats on the train, but as it pulled out of the station Nagisa snuggled up against Rei, eyes closed but still smiling.

“Nagisa-kun?”

“I’m just really happy, Rei-chan.”

_Me too_ , Rei thought. A week ago, after giving up his spot in the relay, Rei didn’t think he could ever feel as happy as this. A week ago, Rei still wondered if he could ever truly belong with this team. But he knew better, now. And it was all because of Nagisa. Rei pressed a kiss, short and sweet, to the top of Nagisa’s head.

“Me too,” he said out loud.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated, but go easy on me! It's my first time ;)
> 
> tumblr


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